Voya Equity Trust

05/01/2024 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 05/01/2024 08:12

Summary Prospectus by Investment Company - Form 497K

497k Voya Small Cap Growth Fund
Summary Prospectus September 30, 2023, as supplemented May 1, 2024
Voya Small Cap Growth Fund
Class/Ticker: A/VWYFX; C/VWYGX; I/TCMSX; R/VWYIX; R6/VLNPX; W/VWYKX
Before you invest, you may want to review the fund's Prospectus, which contains more information about the fund and its risks. For free paper or electronic copies of the Prospectus and other fund information (including the Statement of Additional Information and most recent financial report to shareholders), go to https://individuals.voya.com/literature; email a request to [email protected]; call 1-800-992-0180; or ask your salesperson, financial intermediary, or retirement plan administrator. The fund's Prospectus and Statement of Additional Information, each dated September 30, 2023, as supplemented, and the audited financial statements on pages 18-46 of the fund's shareholder report dated May 31, 2023 are incorporated into this Summary Prospectus by reference and may be obtained free of charge at the website, phone number, or e-mail address noted above.
Investment Objective
The Fund seeks long-term capital appreciation.
Fees and Expenses of the Fund
These tables describe the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy, hold, and sell shares of the Fund. You may pay other fees, such as brokerage commissions and other fees to financial intermediaries, which are not reflected in the tables and examples below.You may qualify for sales charge discounts if you and your family invest, or agree to invest in the future, at least $50,000 in Voya mutual funds. More information about these and other discounts is available from your financial intermediary and in the discussion in the Sales Charges section of the Prospectus (page 83), in Appendix A to the Prospectus, or the Purchase, Exchange, and Redemption of Shares section of the Statement of Additional Information (page 103).
Shareholder Fees
Fees paid directly from your investment
Class
Maximum sales charge (load) as a % of
offering price imposed on purchases
Maximum deferred sales charge (load) as a % of
purchase or sales price, whichever is less
A
5.75
None1
C
None
1.00
I
None
None
R
None
None
R6
None
None
W
None
None
Annual Fund Operating Expenses
Expenses you pay each year as a % of the value of your investment
Class
A
C
I
R
R6
W
Management Fees
%
0.80
0.80
0.80
0.80
0.80
0.80
Distribution and/or Shareholder Services (12b-1) Fees
%
0.25
1.00
None
0.50
None
None
Other Expenses
%
0.16
0.16
0.14
0.16
0.05
0.16
Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses
%
0.01
0.01
0.01
0.01
0.01
0.01
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses2
%
1.22
1.97
0.95
1.47
0.86
0.97
Waivers and Reimbursements3
%
(0.02)
(0.02)
(0.02)
(0.02)
(0.02)
(0.02)
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses after Waivers and
Reimbursements
%
1.20
1.95
0.93
1.45
0.84
0.95
1
A contingent deferred sales charge of 1.00% is assessed on certain redemptions of Class A shares made within 18 months after purchase where no initial sales charge was paid at the time of purchase as part of an investment of $1,000,000 or more.
2
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses shown may be higher than the Fund's ratio of expenses to average net assets shown in the Financial Highlights, which reflect the operating expenses of the Fund and do not include Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses.
3
Voya Investments, LLC (the "Investment Adviser") is contractually obligated to limit expenses to 1.30%, 2.05%, 0.95%, 1.55%, 0.85%, and 1.05% for Class A, Class C, Class I, Class R, Class R6, and Class W shares, respectively, through October 1, 2024. The limitation does not extend to interest, taxes, investment-related costs, leverage expenses, extraordinary expenses, and Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses. This limitation is subject to possible recoupment by the Investment Adviser within 36 months of the waiver or reimbursement. The amount of the recoupment is limited to the lesser of the
1 of 7
amounts that would be recoupable under: (i) the expense limitation in effect at the time of the waiver or reimbursement; or (ii) the expense limitation in effect at the time of recoupment. Termination or modification of this obligation requires approval by the Fund's Board of Trustees (the "Board").
Expense Example
This Example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in shares of the Fund with the costs of investing in other mutual funds. The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated. The Example shows costs if you sold (redeemed) your shares at the end of the period or continued to hold them. The Example also assumes that your investment had a 5% return each year and that the Fund's operating expenses remain the same. The Example reflects applicable expense limitation agreements and/or waivers in effect, if any, for the one-year period and the first year of the three-, five-, and ten-year periods. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:
If you sold your shares
If you held your shares
Number of years you own your shares
Number of years you own your shares
1 Yr
3 Yrs
5 Yrs
10 Yrs
1 Yr
3 Yrs
5 Yrs
10 Yrs
A
$
690
938
1,205
1,966
A
$
690
938
1,205
1,966
C
$
298
616
1,061
2,294
C
$
198
616
1,061
2,294
I
$
95
301
524
1,165
I
$
95
301
524
1,165
R
$
148
463
801
1,756
R
$
148
463
801
1,756
R6
$
86
272
475
1,059
R6
$
86
272
475
1,059
W
$
97
307
534
1,188
W
$
97
307
534
1,188
The Example does not reflect sales charges (loads) on reinvested dividends (and other distributions). If these sales charges (loads) were included, your costs would be higher.
Portfolio Turnover
The Fund pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or "turns over" its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover rate may indicate higher transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when Fund shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in Annual Fund Operating Expenses or in the Expense Example, affect the Fund's performance.
During the most recent fiscal year, the Fund's portfolio turnover rate was 100% of the average value of its portfolio.
Principal Investment Strategies
Under normal market conditions, the Fund invests at least 80% of its net assets (plus any borrowings for investment purposes) in stocks of small-capitalization companies. The Fund will provide shareholders with at least 60 days' prior notice of any change in this investment policy.
For this Fund, the sub-adviser (the "Sub-Adviser") defines small-capitalization companies as companies with market capitalizations that fall within the range of companies within the Russell 2000® Index (the "Index") at the time of purchase. The market capitalization of companies within the Index will change with market conditions. As of June 30, 2023, the market capitalization of companies within the Index ranged from $1.9 million to $13.1 billion.
The Sub-Adviser uses fundamental research in an effort to identify companies with the potential for superior earnings growth and sustainable valuations. The Sub-Adviser's intensive bottom-up, fundamental research drives stock selection, which the Sub-Adviser believes is key to seeking excess returns.
Most of the Fund's assets will be invested in U.S. common stocks that the Sub-Adviser expects will experience long-term, above average earnings growth. The Fund may, at times, invest a significant portion of its assets (greater than 25%) in specific sectors of the economy, such as in the technology and health care sectors. The Fund may also invest up to 20% of its net assets in equity securities of foreign (non-U.S.) issuers, including issuers located in emerging markets that are American Depositary Receipts or traded on a U.S. stock exchange, when consistent with the Fund's investment objective. Countries with developing and emerging markets include most countries in the world except Australia, Canada, Hong Kong, Israel, Japan, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, the United States, and most of the countries of western Europe.
The Fund may invest in other investment companies, including exchange-traded funds ("ETFs"), to the extent permitted under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended, and the rules and regulations thereunder, and under the terms of applicable no-action relief or exemptive orders granted thereunder.
Summary Prospectus 
2 of 7
Voya Small Cap Growth Fund
In evaluating investments for the Fund, the Sub-Adviser takes into account a wide variety of factors and considerations to determine whether any or all of those factors or considerations might have a material effect on the value, risks, or prospects of a company. Among the factors considered, the Sub-Adviser expects typically to take into account environmental, social, and governance ("ESG") factors. In considering ESG factors, the Sub-Adviser intends to rely primarily on factors identified through its proprietary empirical research and on third-party evaluations of a company's ESG standing. ESG factors will be only one of many considerations in the Sub-Adviser's evaluation of any potential investment; the extent to which ESG factors will affect the Sub-Adviser's decision to invest in a company, if at all, will depend on the analysis and judgment of the Sub-Adviser.
The Sub-Adviser may sell securities for a variety of reasons, such as to secure gains, limit losses, or redeploy assets into opportunities believed to be more promising, among others.
The Fund may lend portfolio securities on a short-term or long-term basis, up to 33 1∕3% of its total assets.
Principal Risks
You could lose money on an investment in the Fund. Any of the following risks, among others, could affect Fund performance or cause the Fund to lose money or to underperform market averages of other funds. The principal risks are presented in alphabetical order to facilitate readability, and their order does not imply that the realization of one risk is more likely to occur or have a greater adverse impact than another risk.
Company:The price of a company's stock could decline or underperform for many reasons, including, among others, poor management, financial problems, reduced demand for the company's goods or services, regulatory fines and judgments, or business challenges. If a company is unable to meet its financial obligations, declares bankruptcy, or becomes insolvent, its stock could become worthless.
Currency:To the extent that the Fund invests directly or indirectly in foreign (non-U.S.) currencies or in securities denominated in, or that trade in, foreign (non-U.S.) currencies, it is subject to the risk that those foreign (non-U.S.) currencies will decline in value relative to the U.S. dollar or, in the case of hedging positions, that the U.S. dollar will decline in value relative to the currency being hedged by the Fund through foreign currency exchange transactions.
Environmental, Social, and Governance (Equity):The Sub-Adviser's consideration of ESG factors in selecting investments for the Fund is based on information that is not standardized, some of which can be qualitative and subjective by nature. The Sub-Adviser's assessment of ESG factors in respect of a company may rely on third-party data that might be incorrect or based on incomplete or inaccurate information. There is no minimum percentage of the Fund's assets that will be invested in companies that the Sub-Adviser views favorably in light of ESG factors, and the Sub-Adviser may choose not to invest in companies that compare favorably to other companies on the basis of ESG factors. It is possible that the Fund will have less exposure to certain companies due to the Sub-Adviser's assessment of ESG factors than other comparable mutual funds. There can be no assurance that an investment selected by the Sub-Adviser, which includes its consideration of ESG factors, will provide more favorable investment performance than another potential investment, and such an investment may, in fact, underperform other potential investments.
Focused Investing: To the extent that the Fund invests a substantial portion of its assets in securities of a particular industry, sector, market segment, or geographic area, the Fund may be more sensitive to financial, economic, business, political, regulatory, and other developments and conditions, including natural or other disasters, affecting issuers in a particular industry, sector, market segment, or geographic area in which the Fund focuses its investments, and if securities of such industry, sector, market segment, or geographic area fall out of favor, the Fund could underperform, or be more volatile than, a fund that has greater diversification.
Health Care Sector: Investments in companies involved in the health care sector are strongly affected by worldwide scientific or technological developments. Products sold by companies in the health care sector may rapidly become obsolete and are also often dependent on access to resources and the company's ability to receive patents from regulatory agencies. Many health care companies also are subject to significant government regulation and may be affected by changes in governmental policies. As a result, investments in health care companies include the risk that the economic prospects, and the share prices, of such companies can fluctuate dramatically.
Summary Prospectus 
3 of 7
Voya Small Cap Growth Fund
Technology Sector: Investments in companies involved in the technology sector are subject to significant competitive pressures, such as aggressive pricing of products or services, new market entrants, competition for market share, short product cycles due to an accelerated rate of technological developments, evolving industry standards, changing customer demands, and the potential for limited earnings and/or falling profit margins. The failure of a company to adapt to such changes could have a material adverse effect on the company's business, results of operations, and financial condition. These companies also face the risks that new services, equipment, or technologies will not be accepted by consumers and businesses or will become rapidly obsolete. These factors can affect the profitability of these companies and, as a result, the values of their securities. Many companies involved in the technology sector have limited operating histories, and prices of these companies' securities historically have been more volatile than those of many other companies' securities, especially over the short term.
Foreign (Non-U.S.) Investments/Developing and Emerging Markets: Investing in foreign (non-U.S.) securities may result in the Fund experiencing more rapid and extreme changes in value than a fund that invests exclusively in securities of U.S. companies due, in part, to: smaller markets; differing reporting, accounting, auditing and financial reporting standards and practices; nationalization, expropriation, or confiscatory taxation; foreign currency fluctuations, currency blockage, or replacement; potential for default on sovereign debt; and political changes or diplomatic developments, which may include the imposition of economic sanctions (or the threat of new or modified sanctions) or other measures by the U.S. or other governments and supranational organizations. Markets and economies throughout the world are becoming increasingly interconnected, and conditions or events in one market, country or region may adversely impact investments or issuers in another market, country or region.Foreign (non-U.S.) investment risks may be greater in developing and emerging markets than in developed markets.
Growth Investing:Prices of growth-oriented stocks are more sensitive to investor perceptions of the issuer's growth potential and may fall quickly and significantly if investors suspect that actual growth may be less than expected. There is a risk that funds that invest in growth-oriented stocks may underperform other funds that invest more broadly. Growth-oriented stocks tend to be more volatile than value-oriented stocks, and may underperform the market as a whole over any given time period.
Investment Model: The Sub-Adviser's proprietary investment model may not adequately take into account existing or unforeseen market factors or the interplay between such factors, and there is no guarantee that the use of a proprietary investment model will result in effective investment decisions for the Fund.
Liquidity:If a security is illiquid, the Fund might be unable to sell the security at a time when the Fund's manager might wish to sell, or at all. Further, the lack of an established secondary market may make it more difficult to value illiquid securities, exposing the Fund to the risk that the prices at which it sells illiquid securities will be less than the prices at which they were valued when held by the Fund, which could cause the Fund to lose money. The prices of illiquid securities may be more volatile than more liquid securities, and the risks associated with illiquid securities may be greater in times of financial stress.
Market:The market values of securities will fluctuate, sometimes sharply and unpredictably, based on overall economic conditions, governmental actions or intervention, market disruptions caused by trade disputes or other factors, political developments, and other factors. Prices of equity securities tend to rise and fall more dramatically than those of debt instruments. Additionally, legislative, regulatory or tax policies or developments may adversely impact the investment techniques available to a manager, add to costs and impair the ability of the Fund to achieve its investment objectives.
Market Disruption and Geopolitical:The Fund is subject to the risk that geopolitical events will disrupt securities markets and adversely affect global economies and markets. Due to the increasing interdependence among global economies and markets, conditions in one country, market, or region might adversely impact markets, issuers and/or foreign exchange rates in other countries, including the United States. Wars, terrorism, global health crises and pandemics, and other geopolitical events that have led, and may continue to lead, to increased market volatility and may have adverse short- or long-term effects on U.S. and global economies and markets, generally. For example, the COVID-19 pandemic has resulted, and may continue to result, in significant market volatility, exchange suspensions and closures, declines in global financial markets, higher default rates, supply chain disruptions, and a substantial economic downturn in economies throughout the world. Natural and environmental disasters and systemic market dislocations are also highly disruptive to economies and markets. In addition, military action by Russia in Ukraine has, and may continue to, adversely affect global energy and financial markets and therefore could affect the value of the Fund's investments, including beyond the Fund's direct exposure to Russian issuers or nearby geographic regions. The extent and duration of the military action, sanctions, and resulting market disruptions are impossible to predict and could be substantial. A number of U.S. domestic banks and foreign (non-U.S.) banks have recently experienced financial difficulties and, in some cases, failures. There can be no certainty that the actions taken by regulators to limit the effect of those financial difficulties and failures on other banks or other financial institutions or on the U.S. or foreign (non-U.S.) economies generally will be successful. It is possible that more banks or other financial institutions will experience financial difficulties or fail, which may affect adversely other U.S. or foreign (non-U.S.) financial institutions and economies. These events as well as other changes in foreign (non-U.S.) and domestic economic, social, and political conditions also could adversely affect
Summary Prospectus 
4 of 7
Voya Small Cap Growth Fund
individual issuers or related groups of issuers, securities markets, interest rates, credit ratings, inflation, investor sentiment, and other factors affecting the value of the Fund's investments. Any of these occurrences could disrupt the operations of the Fund and of the Fund's service providers.
Other Investment Companies:The main risk of investing in other investment companies, including ETFs, is the risk that the value of an investment company's underlying investments might decrease. Shares of investment companies that are listed on an exchange may trade at a discount or premium from their net asset value. You will pay a proportionate share of the expenses of those other investment companies (including management fees, administration fees, and custodial fees) in addition to the Fund's expenses. The investment policies of the other investment companies may not be the same as those of the Fund; as a result, an investment in the other investment companies may be subject to additional or different risks than those to which the Fund is typically subject. In addition, shares of ETFs may trade at a premium or discount to net asset value and are subject to secondary market trading risks. Secondary markets may be subject to irregular trading activity, wide bid/ask spreads, and extended trade settlement periods in times of market stress because market makers and authorized participants may step away from making a market in an ETF's shares, which could cause a material decline in the ETF's net asset value.
Securities Lending:Securities lending involves two primary risks: "investment risk" and "borrower default risk." When lending securities, the Fund will receive cash or U.S. government securities as collateral. Investment risk is the risk that the Fund will lose money from the investment of the cash collateral received from the borrower. Borrower default risk is the risk that the Fund will lose money due to the failure of a borrower to return a borrowed security. Securities lending may result in leverage. The use of leverage may exaggerate any increase or decrease in the net asset value, causing the Fund to be more volatile. The use of leverage may increase expenses and increase the impact of the Fund's other risks.
Small-Capitalization Company:Investments in small-capitalization companies may involve greater risk than is customarily associated with larger, more established companies due to the greater business risks of a limited operating history, small size, limited markets and financial resources, narrow product lines, less management depth and more reliance on key personnel. The securities of small-capitalization companies are subject to liquidity risk as they are often traded over-the-counter and may not be traded in volumes typically seen on national securities exchanges.
An investment in the Fund is not a bank deposit and is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, the Federal Reserve Board or any other government agency.
Performance Information
The following information is intended to help you understand the risks of investing in the Fund. The Fund is the successor to TCM Small Cap Growth Fund (the "TCM Predecessor Fund"), a mutual fund with substantially similar investment objectives, policies, and restrictions as a result of the reorganization of the TCM Predecessor Fund into the Fund on or about April 1, 2022 (the "Reorganization Date"). As a result of the reorganization, the TCM Predecessor Fund's shareholders received Class I shares of the Fund. The performance in the bar chart and table prior to the Reorganization Date is that of the TCM Predecessor Fund. The following bar chart shows the changes in the TCM Predecessor Fund's performance from year to year, and the table compares the TCM Predecessor Fund's performance to the performance of a broad-based securities market index/indices with investment characteristics similar to those of the TCM Predecessor Fund for the same period. The TCM Predecessor Fund's performance information reflects applicable fee waivers/expense limitations in effect, if any, during the period presented. Absent such fee waivers/expense limitations, if any, performance would have been lower. Performance for other share classes would differ to the extent they have differences in their fees and expenses. The bar chart shows the performance of the Fund's Class I shares.
Because Class A, Class C, Class R, Class R6, and Class W shares of the Fund did not have a full calendar year of operations as of the calendar year ended December 31, 2022, no performance information for Class A, Class C, Class R, Class R6, and Class W shares is provided below.The Fund's past performance (before and after taxes) is no guarantee of future results.For the most recent performance figures, go to https://individuals.voya.com/literature or call 1-800-992-0180.
Summary Prospectus 
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Voya Small Cap Growth Fund
Calendar Year Total Returns Class I
(as of December 31 of each year)
Best quarter:
2nd Quarter 2020
28.32%
Worst quarter:
1st Quarter 2020
-26.02%
Year-to-date total return:
June 30, 2023
12.33%
Average Annual Total Returns %
(for the periods ended December 31, 2022)
1 Yr
5 Yrs
10 Yrs
Since
Inception
Inception
Date
Class I before taxes
%
-23.60
7.74
12.74
N/A
10/01/04
After tax on distributions
%
-23.60
5.43
9.35
N/A
After tax on distributions with sale
%
-13.97
5.74
9.30
N/A
Russell 2000® Growth Index1
%
-26.36
3.51
9.20
N/A
1
The index returns do not reflect deductions for fees, expenses, or taxes.
After-tax returns are calculated using the historical highest individual federal marginal income tax rates and do not reflect the impact of state and local taxes.Actual after-tax returns depend on an investor's tax situation and may differ from those shown, and the after-tax returns shown are not relevant to investors who hold their Fund shares through tax-advantaged arrangements such as 401(k) plans or individual retirement accounts ("IRAs").In some cases the after-tax returns may exceed the return before taxes due to an assumed tax benefit from any losses on a sale of Fund shares at the end of the measurement period.
Portfolio Management
Investment Adviser
Voya Investments, LLC
Sub-Adviser
Voya Investment Management Co. LLC
Portfolio Managers
Mitchell S. Brivic, CFA
Portfolio Manager (since inception of TCM Predecessor Fund, 10/04)
Michael C. Coyne, CFA
Portfolio Manager (since inception of TCM Predecessor Fund, 10/04)
Scott W. Haugan, CFA
Portfolio Manager (since 08/07)
Purchase and Sale of Fund Shares
Shares of the Fund may be purchased or sold on any business day (normally any day when the New York Stock Exchange opens for regular trading). You can buy or sell shares of the Fund through a broker-dealer or other financial intermediary; by visiting our website at www.voyainvestments.com; by writing to us at Voya Investment Management, 7337 East Doubletree Ranch Road, Suite 100, Scottsdale, Arizona 85258-2034; or by calling us at 1-800-992-0180.
Minimum Initial Investment $ by share class
Class
A, C
I
R
R6
W
Non-retirement accounts
$
1,000
250,000
None
1,000,000
1,000
Retirement accounts
$
250
250,000
None
None
1,000
Certain omnibus accounts
$
250
None
None
None
None
Pre-authorized investment plan
$
1,000
250,000
None
None
1,000
There are no minimums for additional investments except that the pre-authorized investment plan requires a monthly investment of at least $100. For Class I shares, there is no minimum initial investment requirement for: (i) qualified retirement plans or other defined contribution plans and defined benefit plans that invest in the Voya funds through omnibus arrangements; (ii)
Summary Prospectus 
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Voya Small Cap Growth Fund
employees of Voya Investment Management Co. LLC ("Voya IM") who are eligible to participate in "notional" bonus programs sponsored by Voya IM; or (iii) (a) investors transacting in Class I shares through brokerage platforms that invest in the Voya funds' Class I shares through omnibus accounts and have agreements with the distributor to offer such shares and (b) such brokerage platforms' omnibus accounts.
Tax Information
The Fund's distributions are generally taxable to you as ordinary income, capital gains, or a combination of the two, unless you are investing through a tax-advantaged arrangement, such as a 401(k) plan or an IRA. If you are investing through a tax-advantaged arrangement, you may be taxed upon withdrawals from that arrangement.
Payments to Broker-Dealers and Other Financial Intermediaries
If you purchase the Fund through a broker-dealer or other financial intermediary (such as a bank), the Fund and/or its related companies may pay the intermediary for the sale of Fund shares and/or related services. These payments may create a conflict of interest by influencing the broker-dealer or other intermediary and your salesperson to recommend the Fund over another investment. Ask your salesperson or visit your financial intermediary's website for more information.
Summary Prospectus 
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Voya Small Cap Growth Fund
FTSE Russell Index Data Source: London Stock Exchange Group plc and its group undertakings (collectively, the "LSE Group"). © LSE Group 2023. FTSE Russell is a trading name of certain of the LSE Group companies. Russell 2000® is a trademark(s) of the relevant LSE Group companies and is used by any other LSE Group company under license. All rights in the FTSE Russell indexes or data vest in the relevant LSE Group company which owns the index or the data. Neither LSE Group nor its licensors accept any liability for any errors or omissions in the indexes or data and no party may rely on any indexes or data contained in this communication. No further distribution of data from the LSE Group is permitted without the relevant LSE Group company's express written consent. The LSE Group does not promote, sponsor or endorse the content of this communication.
Summary Prospectus 
216598 (0524-050124)